Zaalbar Tokocharger
Warning: This page may consume your time. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK :D All stories with an asterix (*) mean the story is still under work. All stories with two asterix (**) mean the story has not been started yet. All stories with three asterix (***) mean the story is put on hold, and will be finished at a different time Agents Of The Dark Side*** I would like to thank my friend Aarok Bactamark for helping me with this story. I could not have done it with out him (Or... as quickly as it was finished :P) I was stuck in writers block, and he took the task to finish it. Again, Thank you Aarok Bactamark! 22 BBY - Dromund Kaas Walk 'n Talk Clouds brewed overhead, and rain pounded everything in sight mercilessly. Lightning flashed in the sky, and thunder was heard all around. Zaal walked through the mud, and swamp, with Jedi Master Aarok Bactamark following behind him. Vette Derlih had sustained minor injuries when they were walking through some of the more dangerous swamps. She had the misfortune to step into a hole, that was probably the den of some amphibious creature. Spraining her ankle, she had to stay behind to watch the ship, while Zaal annd Aarok went off on the mission. The ship held a cargo bay that housed three speeders, but the Jedi left them, to prevent any unwanted attention. Large enough to acompany 12 people, each with their own room. The Republic had a secret base here on Dromund Kaas, the planet had a very high potential of a Separatist outpost. It was the perfect place. And with the influences of the Dark Side, The Separatists coud become even more reckless, and ruthless. The Republic Base was known as Laxu, located near the small city Shakka. It was prepared for an all out attack, and there was always a small group of Jedi there at all times, to push the Dark Force away. Someone, or something was not happy. The base had been obliterated. That's all they knew. All power had been knocked out, but hours after the attack, a security probe that happened to survive the assault, flickered on, and sent the news to the Republic, before it short circuited. "Master Aarok, I do believe Laxu is two miles due east from here?" Zaal asked. "One-point-eitght-three-five miles from here to be exact." Aarok usualy never bothered to be exact, but when in need of conversation, Aarok will be precise. "You and your mathmatition brain," Zaal said. "I am not showing off. I am simply giving the exact distance." Aarok replied Smirking. (Project not finished) Laxu They talked about nothing as they walked. About half a mile from Laxu is when the action started. "Zaal, stop!" Aarok said. Zaal did as told. In the smallest fraction of a second possible, a red beam streaked passed him, splintering the tree right where his heart would have been. The smell of ozone filled the air. Zaal already had his saber activated, ready to deflect another attempt. Nothing came. Zaal did not feel any change in the Force, indicating a living being was near. "Master Aarok, did you feel another intelligent being nearby?" Zaal asked. "No." Aarok's simple reply came. "Some one was prepared for Jedi. Cloaking the danger from the Force. Zaal, keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary." "Yes Master." Zaal said. This required ending any conversation; any distraction could mean the end of their life. Roughly a quarter hour later, the Jedi arrived at the ruins. The only parts of the actual Base, what was firmly in the ground, stood no more than a meter. Rubble had been thrown everywhere. It was clear none ''of this had been done with blasters. Stunned, Zaal and Master Aarok just stood, surveying the ruins. "What-" Zaal started, but Master Aarok interrupted him, "Even I don't know, but I have a sure feeling it wasn't the Seps." Zaal bent down and picked up a small security probe. "Let me see if I can get the data out of this." Zaal said. "Alright, just be cautious and alert." Aarok said, and started looking at the damage more closely. Zaal popped upen the driod, and pulled a small tool from a pouch attached to his belt. After several minutes of tinkering with it, Zaal managed to re-activate it. He attached it to his datapad, and downloaded what it recorded the day of the attack. "Master Aarok, I got more than planned out of this. It is mostly functional. I downloaded what it recorded the day it was decommisoned, but I doubt here is the place to view it." "Get a good recording of the damage here, and send it to the Jedi Council." Aarok said. "This probe was designed to send information to the bases central computer. The computer sent all information to Coruscant. If we can't find the computer, ''and ''repair it, we'll have to wait." Zaal said. "Can you reprogram it quickly?" "Yeah, no prob. what do you want me to do with it?" "Send the information to your Master, and have her relay it to Coruscant via the ships computer." "I can do that, Master, but Master Vette has to accept the recalibration too. Giver her a call and tell her to set the radio frequency to accept this transmission." Aarok did so, and only minutes later, Zaal was recording the damage. They had surveyed the damage, recording it along the way, and sent it to Master Vette, who sent it to the Jedi Council, then the two Jedi started moving some of the rubble to see what was burried beneath. Whoever or whatever attacked sure knew how to redefine ther term ''obliterate Under the rubble, was only more rubble. Nothing had survived. "I knew one of the Jedi that was stationed here..." Aarok said, and without completing the thought, he added, "Something just looks wrong here. Like something is missing." Zaal once again looked at the ruins. It was obvious. "Master Aarok, where are all the bodies of the soldiers who were here?" "That's it! It was obvious, and we were looking too hard." Aarok exclaimed. "Zaal, I don't know where they are, but there were hundreds of troops here. No one, or thing could drag them all away. We're dealing with something far more powerful than we thought." "What Master?" Zaal asked? "I'm not sure, but I believe it may be someone who is somehow connected to the Force." Aarok finished. Unexpected Not too far away, a spy was perched in a tree. Macrobinoculars in hand, watching the Jedi, the spy was ready to execute her plan. She covered her supplies under a camouflage covering and leapt from the tree. Several minutes later, she arrived at her destination. Zaal was meditating when he hear a blood curdling scream. He jumped, and looked at Master Aarok. Aarok nodded and they both sprinted off in the direction the sound came. Leaping over the remains of Laxu, bushes, and other obstacles, Zaal and Master Aarok approached a young woman, a little older than Zaal. The woman seemed to have not noticed the presence of the two Jedi. "Ma'am, what's wrong?" Aarok said firmly. The girl jumped, oblivious to the fact they were there. "What's the problem?" Aarok repeated. The girl slowly reached out, and pointed to a spot in the grass. Zaal walked closer to what she was pointing at. At first, he could not identify what it was, but soon realized it was a body. Zaal gasped, and turned around, nauseated. "Master, you may want to take a look at that.." Zaal said. Zaal saw Aarok let a tear slip. The Jedi Aarok mentioned earlier, Jeela Jissard, laid in the grass, lifeless. Jeela was an elder Jedi, and treated Aarok like her own child. It looked like she had been beat to dea th. She had multiple oddly angled limbs, and broken bones. Zaal caught a holo-image of Jeela, to report to the Jedi Council. The girl who led them here, stood shaking, horrified at what she stumbled across. "Ma'am, do you have shelter nearby?" Aarok asked, knowing the girl needed protection, and was lucky to get this close to Laxu. She was pale in the face and with a whisper, barely audible, she said, "A-about an hour w-walk t-that a way." "Wait here. I'll be back. Zaal, stay with her." Aarok said. "If you need me, use your holocomm." "Yes Master." Aarok sprinted off, heading back to the ship. "Where is he going?" The girl asked. "Back to the ship. We have a few land speeders, we'll get to your home quick and safe as possible." The girl nodded, and did not say another word untill Aarok got back. Aarok's Return Soon, Zaal could see Master Aarok in the distance, who had managed to hook up the other two speeders to follow behind him. This had taken Master Aarok less than twenty minutes, how he did it, Zaal hadn't a clue. All that mattered was that Aarok was back with the speeders. "Took you long enough." Zaal said sarcastically over the holocomm. "I ran into some technical difficulties. And I had a quick chat with your Master." Was Aarok's reply. "So you're telling me you could've done that quicker?" "Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying." Zaal grinned, as Aarok stopped the speeders. "So, what did you and Miss..." Aarok sa id, then turned to the girl. "I'm sorry, where are my manners, I forgot to introduce ourselves. I am Jedi Knight, Aarok Bactamark. This here is Padawan Zaalbar Tokocharger. Might I ask your name?" "Emma. Emma Dunwell." She said, her voice still a little shaky. "Alright, Miss Dunwell, would you like to get going?" Aarok asked. Emma nodded, and Aarok gestured to the speeders. Zaal, Aarok, and Emma climbed on the speeders, and gunned the engines. Zaal, in his spare time, enjoyed working one mechanical devices, and this included speeders. He had invented a small device that lowers the sound of the speeders to an almost inaudible hum. Zaal tossed Emma, and Aarok their helmets, and they put them on. Aarok gave the thumbs up, and Emma took the lead. Tall clumps of grass whipped at the bottom of the speeders. After about seven minutes of rushing over the uneven terrain, Emma slowed her speeder. After another minute, they came upon a depression in the ground. A good twenty feet deep, and seventy-five feet in radius. It looked as if it had been a small, cheaply made, man-on-man battle arena. Emma walked to the edge of the pit, and found the ladder that led them to the floor. Multiple passage ways covered by thick durasteel gates sprouted off in many directions. Emma walked to one of the nearest ones and grabbed a small log that was on the ground, next to the gate. She struggled to get the gate open, but did not succeed. "Here, let me help." Zaal said, and closed his eyes. He cleared his mind of everything. His master, Laxu, the Clone Wars, all out of his mind. Then he reached out to the force. "D'on't go to the Force. Let the Force come to you." That was one thing Zaal learned from Master Aarok. Zaal lifted the durasteel gate with the force; and a loud metal-on-metal screech. Emma then shoved the log under the gate to hold it up. She got down on her stomach, and crawled under. Zaal and Aarok did the same, and dusted off their robes. After removing the log, they walked down the passage way. Torches lit up the walls, cobwebs covered the ceiling. They entered a large cavern; water dripped from stalactites into little pools of the the smooth ground. "Thank you for helping me, Jedi" Emma said. "I-I never expected to come across something like that, I came here to escape the war." "It is our duty, as a Jedi, to help." Zaal said. Zaal heart the snap-hiss ''of a lightsaber activating, and started to say something, but then realized it was not Master Aarok who activated the lightsaber. The being with the blade was hidden in the shadows. The glow of the lightsaber revealed a silhouette of a well-built man, in light armor, a mask, and loose robes. Another lightsaber lit, in the other hand of the figure. Two more humanoids appeared on either side of him, who, strangly enough, the Jedi were not able to use the force to sense their species. Emma, If that was actually her name, activated her own lightsaber. It was the only yellow blade in the cave. "Jedi are more foolish than I thought." Emma said. "This was so easy, I'm almost worried you have a trap set for me" "Without the Force, you are no match for either of us. We are two of the top blademasters in the Order." Aarok said. "Oh, but you see, we ''can ''use the Force." Emma said, and grabbed Zaal with the Force, and pinned him to the cave wall. These users of the dark side, not Sith, were able to mask their Force ability. Aarok reacted by throwing one of his lightsabers at Emma, causing her to lose focus, and allowing Zaal to fall to the ground. Zaal clumsily grabed his lightsaber, and activated it. The other three humanoids moved in, four more lightsabers added to the attack. Zaal took a swing at Emma, as Aarok lept high over the strangers, and noticed they were Chiss. Emma easily deflected Zaals first hit, but his plan did not involve killing her. He planed to get a sense of how Emma fought, so he could then subdue her, without injuring her. Zaal took a few more harmless swings. Behind him, Aarok pushed out with the force, causing a wave of pure energy to ripple through the air, that was so strong, any non-force user would hae had their bones shattered. Instead the Chiss were sent flying through the air, and hit the rock wall. Zaal was almost taked by supprise, when the bigger guy, species still unknown, attacked from behind. Obviously, this man was quite adept in the ways of the darkside, Zaal had almost forgotten about him. Zaal saw, through the force, Aarok quickly grab a n old durasteel pipe, and use the force to strengthen him, and he twisted it twice around the Chiss. Zaal knew that he could not take on Emma, and the unknown man alone. He had two options. One, wait for Aarok to aid him, and two, use Form VII, which involved tapping into the darkside of the force. He did not like the odds of waiting, so he switched fighting forms, and allowed the Dark side of the force to run through him. His master had once told him to never accept the dark side, and the second time it tempts him, it will only be harder to resist. Zaal knew the dangers of this, but he made sure to let the light side keep the darkness at bay. With his new found power, Zaal lept in the air, and kicked the larger man in the face. He felt cartilage crack under his boot, and knew he had broken th man's nose. Zaal then swong his lightsaber at the man, who was stunned, did not see it coming. Lucky for him, Emma kicked Zaal in the back from behind. On the ground, Zaal gahtered the force, while he distracted his probable soon to-be killers. "I never thought it would be this easy to defeat a Jedi." Emma said, her saber pointed at Zaal. "You thought right. It aint gonna be this easy." Zaal said. "I dont believe you are in any position to be saying stuff like that." Zaal said. The bulky man approached Aarok, while Zaal was still on the ground. "And i dont believe you are as tuned to the force as you think." Zaal said, and swept out with his foot, knocking Emma to the floor. Zaal jumped into the air, and gathered as much of the force as he could, then released it all. Zaal had only done this once before, and again, only by tapping into the dark side, with Form VII. A wall of evergy ran through the cave, Smashing into both dark users. The man rolled to the side, just as Aaroks boot was coming down on his face. Aarok missed my a centimeter, and that was just enough for the man to get up, and attack Aarok. Emma, was nt as big, nor strong as her counterpart, was smarter, more agile, and more adept in the force. She quickly advanced Zaal, and a few meters away, let out a supercharge of voilet force lightning. Zaal was not able to deflect it, and was consumed by the dark energy. However, he did not cower to the pain. Using the power of the Dark side and the Lightside, Zaal was able to prevent the pain. He was not able to prevent the damage, but he felt little more than a shock. Zaal tossed his blade through the air, and it arched towards Emma. Emma lost focus, and dodged the spinning blade. Zaal reached down to grab a pipe from the floor, and swung it at Emmas skull. It made contact, and she collapsed, unconsious. At that moment, Aarok lashed out with the force, ans sent the man hurtaling towards the other side of the cave. His hood fell off, and exposed Human features. The look on Aaroks face showed that he surly rechognized him. "You!" Zaal heard the human shout, now that he knew he had been rechognized. Aarok, I remember you! "YOU! Aarok! I remember you! You were always better than me, and became a Knight the same year I did. You're 4 years younger than me, so why did you get to becoma a Knight first!? That is why i found truth in darkness! That is why I have sought revenge. Had your stupid padawan not tapped into the dark side of the force, ''both ''of you would be a dead carcus! "Three things, Jake. One, Zaalbar is not my Padawan. Two, he is smarter than you will ever by, and three, You need to reject the darkside. Do that, and you can rejoin the Jedi Order. Come back with us, become oe of the lightside again." Aarok replied. "Never! Never again! You fail to see through their lies!" The man, Zaal assumed to be named Jake, yelled, then he began to engage Aarok furiously. As he got angrier, and more agressive,the stronger he became in the dark side. But he just could not control his own rage, and caused his attacks became more and more sloppy. When he finally made a move, he failed to protect himself. His style of fighting provided equal offense and defense, but he did not make his move correctly, and exposed his right hand, and Aarok took that moment to slice clean through bone and flesh. "AHG!!" Jake yelled. "Why? Why?" he muttered. "My role as a Jedi is to bring peace to the galaxy. That includes stoping darkness. If you wont shed your shell of evil, I must stop you. "You shall die!" Jake yelled, enraged. With those words uttered, Aarok was standing over a small chasm, at least 50 feet deep. Jacob dashed at Aarok, and swung wildly for his head, but he missed, and lost his balance. Aarok reached out, and tried to pull him up, but it was Jacob's wounded hand, and he would not let Aarok save him. He attempted to cut Aarok's hand off, or pull Aarok down with him, but Zaal had incapacitated Emma by now, and was there pulling on Aarok's body to keep him from falling. Jake's strike towards Aarok's arm was not successful, but Aarok let go to miss the blow, and Jacob was no more. His final words; ""No!!" "Master, you seemed to have rechognized him. Who was he?" "Wheres Emma?" Aarok said, ignoring Zaal' question. "She is out cold. I used the constructed a temporart cage out of some pipes, using the force to place, and weld togeather. I also put a force barrier aroud it, to prevent any escape" "Impressive. Most impressive." Aarok congradulated. "And yes, i did rechognise him. His name is Jacobi 'Lesona. He is a few years older than I am, and we used to be great friends. I never knew he left the Jedi Order, nor that he bacame one of the dark side." Aarok said. "I-I'm sorry Master. You've now lost two friends in the same day." It's alright bud." Aarok said. "Now," he said, "Let's get Miss Dunwell, and the other two to the prison on Diab." "Prison? On Diab? I've never heard of it." Zaal said. "I'm not surprised. I'm not supposed to know of it, at least according to the Code, but Yoda, Master Windu, and Master Kenobi told me about it when we captured Sith Acolyte back in 23 BBY. It's a place to house Sith and Force sensitive people who are a threat the the Order and the Republic. That is where we're gonna take these three." Aarok answered. "Okay. Diab, where is that again?" Zaal asked. "It's located in the Diab system, out in Wild Space. The Prism, as the prison is called, orbits Diab's sixth moon." Aarok told him. "Okay. Well, I guess we better get going." Zaal said. "Indeed. Zaal, take a speeder back to the ship, and bring it back here, so we don't have to transport them on foot, and we'll sedate them when we get them onto the ship." Aarok told Zaal all of this without saying a word. He was using Jedi Hand Signals, which Zaal had recently learned, and so Zaal did as told. The two Chiss wondered where Zaal was going, and Aarok used the time to interrogate Emma. Zaal joged out of the cave, crawled under the gade, and jumped on a speeder. He gunned the engine, and zoomed off toward the ship. As he rushed over the rugged terrain, Zaal thought about the duel in the cave. ''Was it really necessary to have used the dark side? ''Zaal thought. He could feel it attempting to invade him. Zaal knew the power it could bring him. ''Can someone use the darkside for good? '' "No, thats the darkness speaking" Zaal said aloud. But now that the thought had crossed his mind, he had to admit, it was a good question. Several minuets over pondering on that question, Zaal arrived at the ship. MAster Vette heard the whine of the speeder when it was kilometers away, and was already waiting outside of the ships. "Zaal, what happened, where is Aarok?" Master Vette asked, worried." "it's OK, Master. He sent me here, so we can take the ship to him. We have a few acolyte's of the darkside. Aarok stayed to prevent their escape." "I see. Alrighty then, lets get over there." Zaal and Vette rushed to the cockpit, and fired up the engines. Zaal pointed his master where to go, and they reached the cave in just under a minuet. "I dont see a cave." Vette said "How observant Master." Zaal said sarcastically." Were standing on it. Follow me" Master Vette limped out of the ship, an Zaal noticed she was doing on her foot than before. The Force had aided her in healing, quite quickly. Zaal suspected she could walk on it nomrally by the folowing day. They managed to find the gate proped up by the log, and to crawl under it, and they marched down the cave. "Master Aarok, The ship is ready to transport our prisoners." Zaal said. "Great." Aarok said. "Ah, I see you are doing better, Master Vette." "Indeed I am." Vette said with a smile. "Zaal, Help me get these goons to the ship." Aarok said. Zaal say the Chiss and Emma were all out cold, and the Chiss were still bound togeather by the durasteel pipe. Aarok, being older, and stronger, heaved both of the chiss, and managed to drag them under the gate, and on the ship. Zaal grabed Emma, and got he on the ship too, then the ships engines rumbled, and they took off. Aarok locked the three prisoners in the ships brig, and then took over as pilot. The Prism "This place, it's rather quaint isn't it?" Aarok asked. "Yes, I think so." Zaal replied. They docked in the hangar of the Prism, and unloaded their prisoners. Then the handed over the Chiss to the prision guardsm who put the Chiss in cells that were next to each other, and put Emma in a Desinged to prevent even the strongest of Force users from escaping. After their smooth drop off, they returned to the ship, and awaited the Council's guidance about whether or not to return to Dromund Kaas. The Council did not respond for some time, but when they did, they told Aarok, Zaalbar, and Master Derlih to return to Dromund Kaas. They were to figure out what happened to the base, then report back to the Council for further instructions. They obeyed, and immediately set a return course for Dromund Kaas. "Ugh," Zaal complained, the effects of allowing the Dark Side to partially control himself still lingered "We have to go back there?" "Yes Zaal." Aarok replied. "But we'll get there, figure out what happened, and then we'll most likely be done." Master Derlih replied. They were all silent for the rest of the trip back. Aarok meditated, while Zaal continued to tinker with the speeders, and Master Derlih got some much needed rest, to continue healing. Return "We've arrived." Aarok spoke over the comms. Zaal was the only one who came to the bridge. "Where's Vette?" Aarok asked. "I told her to keep resting." Zaal replied. "Very well," Aarok responded, "Let's head back to Laxu." "Yes Master." Zaal answered. They landed near Laxu, and prepared to exit the ship. "Zaal," Aarok said aloud, "Yes Master?" Zaal asked, "When we're done here, we're going to collect the body of Master Jissard, and return her to the Temple." Aarok replied. "I think thats a good idea. I dont very much like the idea of sharing a ship with a dead body, but I think her friends would very much appretiate it, and she could have a proper funeral." Zaal answered. They headed towards the ruins of Laxu once again, reaching the destination in a short time. They discovered something that was missed before. There, in the rubble, laid what appeared to be a Lightsaber hilt. Aarok grabbed it with the Force, but immediately knew it wasn't Master Jissard's. He ass umed that it belonged to another Jedi stationed there, who lost it during the events leading up to the bases annihilation. He attached to his belt, for safe keeping, until it could be returned to the Temple. Zaal and Aarok once again just stood there in dismay, as they examined the ruins for a second time. Laxu was not a large base, more of an average sized outpost, but it was still utterly destroyed. They continued to examine the ruins, surveying all of the damage, all the while, still having no idea of what happened. While they were surveying, Aarok caught a glimpse of something reflecting faintly in the distance. Hesignaled to Zaal, and they headed for it. When they got there, Aarok was about to remove the helmet of the body, when he glanced at the neck line, and saw only bones. He then used Force Sight, and determined that this body had been there for a long time. They didn't see a Lightsaber with the body, but the one they had previously picked up looked to be of the same era, so Aarok theorized that it was the Jedi's. Aarok was only surmising this, but he believed it the lost logical explanation. Aarok then thought he saw something move. He signaled to Zaal with hand signals, and they moved stealthily in that direction. They arrived where Aarok had thought to have seen the movement, only to find nothing there. "Master Aarok, What was that all about?" Zaal asked. "I dont know. I thought i heard something." "Are yuo going crazy now?" Zaal asked, mostly sarcastic. "Perhaps I am." Aarok replied in a serious tone. "We gotta get away from this forsaken, dark place.." "Indeed, Zaal. Indeed we do." The Storm Beast It was then, that they both heard a roar so loud, Zaal was sure he was going to go deaf. Zaal had to fight, inorder to prevent his trembeling, at the sight of the monsters sheer size. They were looking at a Storm Beast... It was massive, and angry. Zaal was pretty sure it was not just hungy, but that someone, or something had provoked it. Master, what in the galaxy is that!?" Zaal asked in alarm. "It's called a Storm Beast." Aarok replied. "A what?" Zaal asked, almost unable to hear him. "A Storm Beast. It's usually native to Malachor V, but it shouldn't be here. They went extinct circa 3951 BBY. They're extinct, so my boy, how are they here?" Aarok answered, then asked. "Are you really asking me?" Zaal asked in dismay. "It was a general question, directed to both of us." Aarok calmly replied. "You seem a little bit too calm for this. Even for a Jedi Master." Zaal said. "I've had experience with large, beasty, animals before." Aarok replied solemnly. "When?" Zaal asked, "I'll explain later." Aarok replied. "Now," he started to say, "let's take care of this Storm Beast, and then discover who or what set it off, and how it is alive." Aarok replied. "Remember that Zillo Beast that attacked Coruscant?" Zaal asked as he activated his lightsaber. "Lets just hope ''this ''ancient beast has penatrable scales." "You can say that again. We dont want to battle an invincable monster alone. Try for its skull. ''If ''our lightsabers can penatrate it, we should be able to sever its brain." "Affirmative, Master." Zaal rushed towards the Storm Beast, and was supprised at how quick it moved, for its size. He rolled to avoid the massive foot of the storm beast, and heard Aarok say, "Oh, and "One more thing, Zaal. Try not to get squashed. I'd hate to have to tell your Master that you died." Aarok put on a half-childish grin. "Id hate to not be able to help the galaxy in need. If i get squashed, then the galaxy is one Jedi short for peace keeping." They enaged the beast, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. Every time they would take a swing, the Storm Beast already had its own attack coming from a different direction, preventing the Jedi to do any real harm. Zaal penetrated the thick hide of the beast's right foot, but it only angered the beast, who then kicked at Zaal,who flew a good 25 ft. Zaal twisted through the air, and realized he was about to land on an old, broked rusted pipe. Using the force, he attempted to miss it, but, lucky for him, Aarok used to Force to grab im in mid air, and lower him to safty. "Thanks for the catch, Master." Zaal said. "No problem. I said don't get squashed, that also means don't get impaled." Aarok replied smiling. "Yeah, yeah. Sure thing." Zaal replied with a grin. They returned to fighting the beast, and while Zaal had injured the beast's right foot, Aarok had cut around the diameter of its entire left foot, causing it to limp in severe pain. It was angered by this as well, but Aarok dodged its attacks. Zaal managed to leap on the Storm Beats's head, and took a stab at its skull. The beast shook wildly, and zaal missed. The beast snaped at Zaal with its massive jaws, and Zaal was barly able to get clear. His lightsaber, however, was not so fortunate. The beast crushed the lightsaber, and flug Zaal off. "Zaal, catch!" Aarok shouted. He grabed the old lightsaber they had discovered minuets before, and tossed it to Zaal, who caught it, activated it, and re-engaged the beast in one fluid motion. After getting thrown a third time, Zaal had enough. He reached out into the force, trying to avoid using the darkside. He gatered mass amounts of energy, and released it, causing the Storm Beasts head to implode. The beast faceplanted in the rock and grass, with so much frce, it shoot the ground like an earthquake. Both Jedi were panting, and Zaal had brought himself dangerously close to overusing his power, and collapsing due to exaustion After a minuet or so, Arrok spoke. "Now," he began, let's figure out where this beast came from, and how it has been revived, after its long extinction." Aarok said. "I. I think thats probably a good idea." Zaal replied. The Cave "Now, we have two options." Aarok said. "Follow the path the Storm Beast left, or find some other way." "Woulden't the logical plan to folow the path?" Zaal asked. "Yes, but then again, if i were to revive a long dead monster, i would not want connect it to me. Whoever, or whatever revived it could have placed it someplace away from their hideout." "True. Very true. But where would we start if we were to look somewhere else?" "Thats a very good question." "I vote we follow the path." "Why do you say that, young padawan?" "Because.." Zaal knew it was a trick question. "Because even if it was transported someplace far away from the place it came from, ther may still be a hint of where it came from." "Good answer. But I did notice that hesitation." Aarok answered. "Now, lest folow that trail." With that, they followed the path of destruction from where the beast had come, and found a cave entrance, where a giant cave was located, and activated their lightsabers, to shed some light inside the cave. "So, I assume that this was the beast's lair." Zaal said "A logical assumption, and a good observation. Good job, Young One." Aarok replied smiling. "Thanks, Master." Zaal replied happily. "You're welcome." Aarok replied in a gentle tone. "Now," he began, "I surmise that Emma, Jacob, and the other two goons were only foot soldiers for a larger more powerful coalition, headed by someone far more powerful than any of them." "Really?" Zaal asked, surprised. "Yes, I have two possible choices, but both seem illogical." Aarok began. "Well, what are they?" Zaal asked. "The first would be the Dark Lord that we've been looking for, Darth Sidious, but I doubt he would trouble himself with such lowly Force wielders. The other choice is more illogical, because he's been dead for almost 960 years." Aarok replied. "You mean, Darth Bane?" Zaal asked. "Is that even possible?" "Perhaps, but it was a wild guess. I assumed it because perhaps the spirit of Bane is here on Dromund Kaas, and could be what revived the Storm Beast as well. Nevertheless, it was a wild guess, and a most illogical assumption. I surmise that is someone new we have not yet encountered." Aarok finally finished. "I see." Zaal simply replied. "Well, there is one more posibility." "Is there?" "Yeah. So you know what happens when a hyperdrive fails, right?" "Yes, i do." "Yeah, four possibilities. Hyperspace it inbetween dimentions. If a hyperdrive fails, your ship may explode, or if your lucky you will fall out is dead space, with only sublight engines. But there are two more uncommon posibilities. You can fall into the other dimention, or fall through time." "I see.." Aarok said thinking it over." "It souds just as crazy, but its not impossible. There could have been some sort of transport ship that this thing was on, and the ship crashlanded here, on Droumound Kaas, after it fell through time due to hyperdrive failure." "Possible, yes. Still crazy as any other." They journeyed deeper into the cave, until they heard what sounded like voices in the distance. "Jedi, come to me. I wish to speak with you." A voice echoed down the cave walls. "Was he talking to us?" Zaal asked slightly frightened. "I believe that we're the only two Jedi here." Aarok replied. "Calm yourself, Zaal. We'll be fine. I won't let anything, and I mean anything happen to you." Aarok said. "Thanks, Master." Zaal said. With that, he boosted his confidence, and bravery, and they began to follow the voice. They arrived to find the Specter of a long-dead Sith Lord. Aarok's assumptions were correct, it was Darth Bane... "I knew it!" Aarok exclaimed. "But how is this possible!?" "Master, was'nt Darth Bane's soul, and essence cast out into oblivion, when he attempter to take over his apprentice?" "Which only complicates thigs more." "She proved that she was worthy of becoming the Dark Lord Of The Sith." Bane informed thim, in an sharp tone. "I have returned to grant you both unlimited power, and to offer you a choice, join the Dark Side, and you can overthrow the weak and feeble Jedi Order, and rule the Galaxy as Master and Apprentice. Should you choose to accept my offer, you would become ''Darth Eternal & Darth Merciless. ''You would rule the Galaxy as my servants, and do my bidding, but have free reign over all the worlds in this universe. You would have limitless power! Now, will you join me?" Darth Bane finished. "But that breaks the Rule Of Two. What about Darth Sidious?" "He is no true sith!" Bane said outraged at the embarrasment he is to the Sith. "Now answer me, do you join the darkside?" "Never!" Both Zaal and Aarok said in unison. "In that case.." Bane said, and conjured up an image of another Storm Beast attacking Master Vette. "I'll kill your master." "Dont you dare!" Zaal said aggitated. "Zaal, keep calm. He wants you to give into your anger." Aarok advised "Yes, give into your hatred! Strike Aarok down, and you can save your Master from certain death. Then you can rule the galaxy with her by your side! Join me!" Bane boasted. "I'll never join you!" Zaal replied. "I'd rather die!" "So be it." Bane said angrily. His Specter then faded away, and 15 Acolytes, and 25 more Minions appeared from the shadows. "It's been an honor to learn from you Master Aarok." Zaal said. "No matter what the odds, dont give up hope, Zaal. Once you give up hope, you have already lost the fight." "You, and your wise quotes." "For the Republic! For the Jedi Order!" Aarok yelled. "For Master Drallig, Master Derlih, Master Yoda, and the rest of the Jedi Order!" Zaal spoke. As the Sith folowers were just about to attack, The Leader of them steped out and said, "Leave this to me." None of the other folowers were quite convinced, but they lowered their blades, still activated. Aarok obliged the Sith warrior, after he told Zaal to stand down, and they began to wage an epic duel. Aarok was overpowering the Sith warrior, but then the warrior would regain strength using the Dark Side, and continue to mercilessly assault Aarok's blades. Finally, Aarok Decided they had fought long enough. He knew the other sith, and Zaal would not just sit around and watch much longer. He acted like he was about to give up, but then proceeded to sever the warrior's hand. This caused a slight moan to come from the warrior, and Aarok then Force pushed him away. Thats one less sith to be dealt with. Zaal actvated the yellow beam of the ancient lightsaber, as he watched the Dark acylote fall. Aarok and Zaal resumed their fight, and the Sith continued their unending assault. Finally, Aarok and Zaal appeared to be winning, and they took an opportunity that wouldn't have come again. It was obvious they did not have proper training, and the Jedi used Force repulse to unsteady half of the Sith, and launch the other half into some jagged debris and rocks, causing their unfortunate demise. Aarok took on half of the remaining warriors, while Zaal took the other half, which totaled to about 7 for Zaal, and 8 for Aarok. Zaal was handling his 7 quite well, dispatching 3 in A metter of seconds, and Aarok had dispatched 4 in about the sam time as well; All of the warriors were very easy to launch into things, or throw things at, that the warriors refused to dodge for some reason, once again proving how little they knew of the Force. Aarok and Zaal then decided to take on the 8 together, and dispatched with 4 more in a matter of seconds, finishing with the other 4 mere moments later. After 10 minutes of viscous fighting between the warriors, the 5 minute duel, and another 4 minutes to eliminate the rest, Aarok and Zaal were very weary. Now that the Sith had been defeated, they both didn't know what to do. Then, they sensed something nearby. They decided to investigate, and thus stumbled upon an Ancient Sith Holocron. They attempted to contact Master Derlih, to seek her guidance, and the Council's on such an important find, but couldn't get a signal so deep inside the cave. "Well, my instincts say we should either leave it here, or destroy it. Otherwise, it could lead us down a path I don't want either of us to follow." Aarok spoke. "I agree. I think we should return to the entrance, try for a better signal, and then if told to do so, block the entrance to the cave, permanently." Zaal replied. "Good idea. Let's leave the crystal here. I don't want anything happening." Aarok responded. "But, don't you think we should bring it, just in case?" Zaal asked, unknowingly beginning to fall under its spell, after his excessive use of the dark side. "What!? Why would we bring it back?" Aarok asked. "\Well, the Jedi could learn so much. It may even aid us in the war.." Zaal replied. "I-im sorry master, that was not really me talking. "Right. Yes, let's get going, and leave it here. We'll leave a beacon nearby, in case we lose our way if we come back." Aarok said. Yes, Master." Zaal answered. With that, they left the Holocron, and began their return trip to the cave entrance. They finally arrived at the entrance, severely weakened both mentally and physically from the journey to exit the cave. The Dark Side was very strong in this realm, and it was wearing them down. "Master Derlih, come in." Zaal spoke over the holocomm. "Yes, Zaalbar?" Master Derlih responded. "We've located a Sith Holocron. What do you think we should do?" Aarok asked. "Leave it there. Don't return to that place. Get out now!" Master Derlih ordered. "But Master, we still haven't determined where the Storm Beast came from. Maybe the Holocron can tell us." Zaal replied. "No, it's too dangerous for you Zaalbar. You must return to the ship immediately. Aarok, if you wish to find out, you may. I trust that your resistance to the Dark Side is stronger than Young Zaal's." Master Derlih spoke. "Yes, Master." Aarok replied. "I'll send Zaal back immediately." "Master!? Why do I have to return, but Aarok can stay? It's just as dangerous for him, as it is for me. Please, let me stay!" Zaal pleaded. "No. That is final. Return to the ship at once." Master Derlih replied, then ended the transmission. "Do as you're told, Young One. Don't worry Zaal, I'll be fine." Aarok assured him. "Yes, Master Aarok." Zaal replied reluctantly. Zaal then left the cave, to return to the ship, while Aarok went to return to the Holocron, alone... Journy to the ship Zaal walked out, not very fond of the idea of leaving Master Aarok alone with the possible danger. ''What if there is another Storm Beast in there? ''Zaal thought to himself. ''There is no way he'd survive it alone. '' As Zaal walked, he though about what had happened that day. He though about leaving Aarok there to study teh Holocron in a place that if it were to corrupt him, he could do no damage. He thought about how helples he was at the moment. The Jedi Masters were a little too over protective towards him. "Why dont they trust me? Why wont they let me stay?" Zaal asked alound. "Stop it, thats not you talking." He said a little quieter. "You really should not have alloud the dark side to aid you." He had been walking for quite some time now, when he got the feeling that Aarok was in trouble. He just kept walking, until the idea of aarok being in trouble overwhelmed him. Grabing his holocomm, he said "Master." "Yes, Zaal" Came her reply. "Im turning back to get Aarok." He said. "No your not, i told you to get back to the ship." "I know, Master, but i just got the feeling that Aarok was in danger." "Zaal, you keep--" "Sorry Master." He said, after he ended the transmission in the middle of her sentence He then started to sprint back the way he came... Back at the Cave In only a few minuets, Zaal had already reached the cave entrance. He burst through it, but was pretty sure he was already too late. He had no idea what he would find, but was pretty certain it was not going to be good. Zaal approahed Aarok, who had cllapsed on the ground. The force told Zaal that Aarok was perfectly fine, but his eyes told him otherwise. Once again, the Dark side tempted Zaal, and he usd the Force to smash the Holocron agains the wall, shattering it instantly. "Master." Zaal said worried. Aarok still laid on the floor, unmoving. Dangers of Felucia** 22 BBY Felucia... It was as if it was a living planet. Every animal, every plant, all linked together by some hive mind. Plants made of flesh, and Animals made of vegetation, This planet was like no other. Everything was unique, and hostile. Giant Rancors had an unquenchable lust for blood, and a never satisfied appetite. Yerdua Poison-Spitters could subdue any expecting guest with its poison globules. The Native Sentient beings were no friendlier. Even as a primitive tribe, the Felucians were naturally force sensitive, and its single tribe covered the entire planet. One thing stood out from the natural planet; Droid parts, and Clone Troopers torn and scattered across the landscape. Blue and red blaster bolts bounced back and fourth Teeth Of The Desert* 22 BBY Tatooine. Bright, hot, dry, sandy, and dull. The planet was covered in nothing but sand. Small settelments could be found here and there, but usually with vast distances in between. Everything about the planet was a negative. Including the fact that it was a prime location for an isolated CIS base. So far, it was nothing but rumors, but those rumors claimed this base was a necesety for the Outer Rim Seiges. Zaal, Master Derlih, and Nyche Tagge, had been sent to investigate. A small Corellian ship, ''Space Slug, ''properly named, carried the two Jedi Masters, and Padawan, towards the binary system. The blue vortex of hyperspace filled their view. Nyche Tagge was a Human Jedi, trained under Castuch Autez, Bothan. He was exceptianally skilled in the medical feild, and was very good at counselling others. However, not so much at counselling himself. The ''Space Slug shook as it fell out of hyperspace, the Jedi were trmporarily blinded as the twin suns shone through the window, which automatically dimmed momentarily. Tatooine was a very strange planet indeed. Thousands of years ago, travelers came across this system, and claimed it uninhabital. They marked it as a triple star system, fooled by the fact that Tatooine reflected the two real sun's light so well, it was easily mistaken for another star itself. Slowly, the Space Slug ''crept towards the 'star'. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Zaal asked sarcastically. "Just wait till we hit the surface." Master Derlih said. "It is no more pleasent on the surface that out here. I can gaurentee that." Nyche said. The ship entered the atmosphere, and started to shake violently. The window was blanketed in a sheet of orange, as the heat fought against the sheilds. "You'd think the Jedi Order could afford to give us a better ship." Zaal said. "No one travels in style to a planet like this. For one, it draws too much attention, especially from the Hutt Crimelords. The Jawas, little filth, probably wont leave it alone either. Two, one good sand storm, and your fancy paint job is done." Nyche said. As the ships sensors read that it had reached the lower atmosphere, it slowed down. The endless miles of sand replaced their view. The Jundland Waste is where the rumored base was located. Two tall, needle-like mountains were visible on the starboard side. "Land over there" Zaal said pointing towards them. "They are practically in the dead center of the Jundland Wastes, and should provide shelter from sand storms, and hide our radar signature." ''Space Slug ''cruised towards the Needles. Scans showed they were lacerated with a complex cave system, going deep under the surface of Tatooine. With a thud, the ''Space Slug ''landed, sand blowing everywhere. Zaal exited the ship and stepped into the hot sand. He could feel the heat through the sole of his boots, as they stepped into the sand. The Twin suns blazed down mercilessly. "Ryloth is a warm planet, but this? This is ridiculous. Who even considered colonizing this planet were either desperate or mentally ill." Zaal commented on the heat of the sun. The dry air was not unfamiliar to the Twi'lek padawan. For a Human, on the other hand, even growing up on a planet lis this, you never really adjusted to it. Nyche was in for a rough time. "Probably both, if you want my opinion." Nyche said. "Nyche, go scout the far peak. Zaal and I will cover the near one." Vette said. "Roger that." Nyche said, and pulled a small, one-man speeder bike from the tiny cargo bay. Zaal went aboard the Space Slug, and re-emerged with a small pouch filled with a few thermal detonator sized objects. "What's with the bag?" Master Derlih asked. "They are micro-scanner droids. A side project of mine. This seems like a perfect chance to for a trial run." "And if someone happens to see it?" Derlih said with an obvious tone in her voice. "That won't happen. These micro droids have a multi-pigment outer shell that allows them to blend in with the background." "Ok. Lets go." The duo of Twi'leks walked towards the towering redish spire of sone. (to be continued) Order 66* 19 BBY Padawan*** 3 BBY Zaal sat in a room on his personal ship, known as ''The Revival. ''He named his ship that, in remembrance of the Republic. He had escaped Order 66, and he took that as a sign that he was still alive to revive the Republic, and the Jedi Order. Zaal was meditating, thinking over what he has contributed to the Jedi Order. Zaal saw one big thing missing. He had no padawan to follow his lead in the Jedi Order. Surely other Jedi survived. Zaal's master went missing in Order 66, Dead or alive, Zaal did not know.. Master Aarok survived, that, Zaal knew for a fact. Many years later, Zaal had never found Aarok, but the Force told him he was alive. While Zaal meditated, he received a message from the Force. The first one in longer than he could remember. But ti was unclear. It was a vision, but more like a dream. Visions were usually very vivid, and detailed. Dreams were distant, and blurred. The only reason Zaal knew this was not a dream, is because he could feel that the Force had sent it too him. It seemed the Force wanted him to go to a location. Zaal could tell it was a very dangerous place. Gravity was a factor. But it was more than just a black hole. Multiple? Impossible. the black holes would have fought each other, then who knows what would happen. But what could have this type of power? Just then, Zaal heard an alarm on the ships computer go off. It told him he had received an unknown transmission. Zaal got up, and walked over to the navicomputer, stretching his legs after the long meditation. Sitting in the pilots seat, Zaal taped at the computer, and found the transmission was encrypted. "Strange.." Zaal said to himself. the transmission had no origin. its like it came from everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. Zaal sent it through the computer's decryption programs. several minuets later, he had results. Numbers. Just numbers? Zaal was confused, but after looking at them, he realized they were coorinants. "The Force? The force must have sent this." Zaal had developed the habit of talking to himself, after being isolated, for so long, in The Revival, and Zaal found the silence eeire. Zaal hesitated before putting the coorinants into the navicomputer, but after a moments of consideration, he put it in, and ''The Revival ''shot off into hyperspace. The Maw After ''The Revival ''exited hyperspace Zaal saw nothing. But he sure felt danger. Impossible Danger. Zaal ran the ships scanners, and discovered nothing withing four-hundred thousand kilometers on the ship. But he reached even further with the force. He knew what was there. Black holes. Hundreds of them. "Revival?" Zaal said, to the computer. "Yes?" the email voice, Zaal had programmed to sound exaclty like Master Vette, replied. "Give me any data you can find on a lage cluster of black holes." "Cluster of black holes? According to my data banks, thats almost impossible, for two to be near each other." "Thats what i thought. Just give me the data, please." "I am capable of multi-tasking. All data received." The data appeared on a screen build into the ships control system. "Lets see.." Zaal said, and took another look outside the cockpit. There it was, ionizing gasses getting sucked into the black holes. "The Maw Cluster... Now with as close together some of theses are, they should collide." Zaal glanced back at the data on the Maw. "Most intriguing. Who would have the power to arrange these black holes? And strategically place them so that they cancel each others time warp? They even keep each other from falling into another." Zaal said. "Now why bring me here?" Zaal took a while to thoroughly read all the data on The Maw. Almost and hour later, Zaal stood up, and looked outside, at The Maw Cluster. "Amazing. ''Revival,'' im taking'' us in. ''Manual control please."'' "You dont mean take us in that cluster do you?" "Thats exactly what I mean." "Now why would you want to do that?" "There is a prison in there." "A prison? What about it? There is one on Coruscant too." "This one is different. It hold Jedi, and other extremely dangerous people." "yeah, but why risk your life, for that of others?" Zaal sighed. "Revival, ''Why cant you be more like my master. Im gonna need to reprogram you. The reason i must to this is because the force brought me here to free the Jedi. If i can free them, i can bring the Jedi Order back." "Ah, I see. Handing over manual control." ''Revival ''said, and was silent. Zaal took the ship slowly towards the center of the cluster, using the force to navigate, and keep away from the gravitational pull of the Black Holes. After about twelve minuets, Zaal heard sirens goo off around the ship. He immediately recognized them as the '''critical condition' ''alarms. He instinctively took the ship into a dive. "''Revival, ''Whats happening!" Zaal said ''The Revival ''burst out in 'laughter'. "Revival? Give me a status report!" "I was just playing with you." Revival said sardonically. "Revival..." Zaal said. "Please dont do that again, or i'll deactivate you. For good." "Yes, Zaal. I personally think--" Zaal interrupted with "You cant take anything personal. your not a person. your a computer. You were computing." "In that case, my computer programming told me that the situation was too quiet. We needed some excitement." "You must realize that if you keep that up, when we really are in danger, i wont know weather or not you are joking." "Sure you will. You have the Force to tell you." Revival came back. Zaal sighed. "You know, sometimes I think i programmed you too well." Zaal said. "Ok, so what ive learned based off the data you gave me, there is a small planet located within this cluster of black holes. On the planet, is an Imperial prison, that is so isolated from the rest of the galaxy, it is not ofted for them to get attacked. This may give us an advantage. But we need to look out for TIE fighters. It sais here there are large amounts of imperial ships guarding it, along with heavy ground units." "You know, I am equipped with stealth capabilities." Revival informed. "Yes, but if they happen to be able to detect us, they will destroy us for sure. If we go in as a supplies ship, or a prison transport, we may be able to get through." Zaal said. "My cloaking capabilities have never failed. What makes you think that this time they will?" "Its not that they will fail, but the fact that this is a very secure Imperial prison planet, that may have the technology to spot cloaked ships. During the Clone wars, there was a separatist general who was a mastermind, and knew how to find a ship in stealth, and destroy it." "I see. Sounds logical." "No, it does not sound logical. There is no logic is attempting to break into any imperial territory, let alone, a top secret, prison with top of the line security systems." "Does that mean you dont wish to proceed with this 'mission'?" "No where is that did I say 'Forget about it, its impossible' did I? "Well, no, but--" Zaal interrupted with "Were going to free the Jedi there, at any cost."' "Ok. Lets get on with it." "Revival, stand by. I want a record of all ship activity in this sector." Zaal ordered ths ship ''The Revival ''remaind silent, and would stay like so, until Zaal said otherwise. Over the next three months, Zaal and ''The Revival ''watched as transport ships, supply ships, delivered. Every two to three weeks, a supply ship arrived, but Zaal noticed they never left. He assumed that the Imperial forces prevented anyone from leaving, to prevent any data from escaping. Obviously a few has escaped. The Database on ''The Revival ''Was one of the most accurate in the galaxy, and contained most of the data from the Jedi Archives. "Revival." Zaal said, his first words in over a month. no reply. "Revival?" Zaal heard a ''beep and saw a message on the computer: Error: lack of use has caused AI systems failure. Please reboot system and try again later "Revival..." The computer let out a virtual sigh, then said "Well your no fun. Anyways, how may I be of your assistance?" "Next supply ship to come through here should be here tomorrow." Zaal informed. "Once it leaves hyperspace, I want you to jam transmissions, and grab it with a tractor beam immediately, you understand?" "Yes, i do." "Notify me when it arrives. I'll be grabbing some long needed rest." Beyond Return The supply ship exited hyperspace the following day, and, The Revival ''caught it, instantly, with its tractor beam. "Zaal, we have the supply ship in tractor beam." ''The Revival ''said. "Good, Bring it closer, and dock." Zaal ordered, and walked out of the cockpit. He then grabbed a small device, small enough to fit in his pocket, that would allow him to wirelessly connect to ''The Revival. ''Its not a holocomm, but similar. It also has the ability to act on its own, if it cant connect to ''The Revival. Basically, it is a miniaturized, not as powerful version of The Revival's ''on board computer. ''The Revival's ''docking bridge reached out, and connected to the cargo ship, and magnetically sealed istelf. Walking to the other ship, Zaal his his lightsaber, and grabbed his blaster. Not his favorite choice of weapon, but he had no intention of letting knowledge of a renegade Jedi on the loose. Blaster in hand, he opened the airlock, and stepped into the cargo ship. No one in sight. Cautiously, Zaal stepped through the door, probing the ship with the Force. Two life forms were in the ship. It seems they have sealed themselves in the cockpit. "Open this door!" Zaal ordered. No reply came from the cockpit. "I just need to borrow your ship." Still no reply. They were afraid. Zaal could feel it. Zaal was very impatient, and was not willing to wait any longer. He grabbed his lightsaber, and activated it. Zaal could hear a muffled gasp come from within. He then plunged his lightsaber into the durasteel door, and cut a hole through it. "Hello. Im gonna borrow this ship, if you dont mind. And if you do, too bad, im still taking it." Zaal said. The Two pilots were armed, but were too stunned that a Jedi had survived Order 66, and had taken their ship, to use their blasters. "Up. Stand Up." Zaal said. Neither of them moved. Zaal then proceed to point his blaster at them. "Stand up, now." Using the Force, Zaal reached out with an invisible hand, and yanked the blasters from both of the pilots. They stood up, and Zaal herded them to the brig on ''The Revival. "Revival, stay in this position until i get back. If in nor back in two days, leave to Ryloth, and release the prisoners." "What if I wait three days?" "Revival, im on a tight schedule. No games right now. Two days." Zaal said, as he boarded the cargo ship for the second time. "Now, release this ship, please." The supply runner shook, as the docking bridge receded back into the Revival. Zaal did a quick systems check, and took the ship down to the surface of the planet. "Incoming ship, identify yourself" came an official sounding voice, over holocomm. "This is The Xouhn, ''cargo supply ship." Zaal said. "Roger, ''Xouhn. We have you scheduled to arrive in one hour. Send verification codes" "Sending codes." "Codes recieved. Why are you early?" "Better safe than sorry." "Alright. You are cleared for landing. Sending coordiants now." Zaal looked at the computer, and it displayed a set of coodinates, not far from his current position. He landed the Xouhn, and waited for a minuet. Storm Troopers walked out onto the landing pad, and Zaal opened the landing ramp. "Sir, we will need to escort you to a holding room while we unload your ship." One trooper said. "Please hand over any weapons on you." Zaal used the force, and made a small hand movement, in a force mind trick. "You dont need my weapons." "We dont need your weapons." The trooper said again. "Follow us." They started towards the main building, off of the landing pad. "Here is good. You can go get the cargo now." Zaal said, using the force to persuade them. They four troopers looked at each other, and the lead one said "Yes. Here is fine. Come on, better get the cargo." Zaal waited for them to get out of sight, then ran off down the hallway. He grabbed the 'mini Revival' device, and spoke into it. "Revival, can you get any information on where the force users may be kept?" "No, i cant, but i can assume that they would be kept in the lower levels, far away from the surface." "Yeah, thats a logical guess. But something is telling me there someplace more secure. Some place that is not recorded.." Zaal said. "That may be so. There is little enough information on this world. Who knows what you could find down there, that my sensors can't pick up." "Im sure I can detect anything you can't, with the Force." Zaal said confidently. He walked stealthily down the hallway, until he came across a turbolift. He walked inside and stopped. He was confused. The force told him to go down, but at the same time, to go up. After a few minuets, Zaal decided down was the best option, and took the turbolift to the lowest levels. The door slid open, and standing right in front of him were two Storm Troopers. Confused, the Storm Troopers looked at Zaal, and hesitated, before raising their weapons. "How did you get here?" the one to Zaal's right asked. "Does it matter? All that matters is that I'm here." Zaal activated his lightsaber, and sliced the two Storm Troopers so fast, that he deactivated it, before it could reach its full length. Thinking quickly, Zaal dragged the two troopers to the garbage shoot, and dropped both of them down. Better to dispose of the bodies, than have someone stumble across them, and let the entire planet know of his presence. Quickly Zaal snuck down the labyrinth of hallways, deeper, and deeper in the facility. "Revival, how close am i to the lowest level? I feel I'm getting close." "Um.. your below the lowest point. Obviously, there is something there that someone does not want any one to know about. Something more secure than what you have passed." "Yeah. Come to think of it, most of the troopers have been replaced by droids. Clever. Droids cant run off and tell the galaxy.. And droids don't need to leave there designated level. That would be why no one knows of this place. No one gets out." "Logical assumption. I would suggest staying away from the droids. There is a very high probability they would sound an alarm of some sort. That happens, and I'm certain you wont make it out." "Me neither. I'll be careful." Zaal said. At that moment Zaal turned a corner and nearly ran right into a security droid. Inches away Zaal froze, hoping not to give the droid any signs that something was there. "What was that about being careful?" Revival said sarcastically, after the droid was out of hearing range. "I never said when I would start to be careful. I just said I would be careful." With equal sarcasm "Now may be a good time to start then." "Yeah. maybe so." Zaal replied. After hours of walking deeper and deeper into the complex, dodging droid after droid, Zaal finally made it to what appeared to be cells. But not just any cell. Cells designed to prevent even Jedi as strong as Master Yoda to escape. But they left out one factor. It does not prevent someone from breaking ''in. ''With all the security, no one would expect someone to be able to break in, but with the use of the Force, Zaal was able to make it down all this way with as little as possible encounters with security. Zaal reached out with the Force, to lead him to where he was to go. But he sensed something very, very familiar. "Master!" Zaal blurted out, not aware of how loud it was. His voice echoed down the silent halls. Any droid in the area would have been able to hear him. Nothing happened. Zaal waited a few more moments. Still nothing. He let out a sigh of relief, and continued his path. He hurried through the dangerous maze of cells, the Force telling him which way to go. Finally, he arrived at the cell block, Master Aarok was locked away in. Unlike most modern prisons, this one was open. A red ray shield is is all that kept prisoners in. Any attempt to pass through, and you would be incinerated. "Zaal! What are you doing here?" His Master Exclaimed . "Now is not the time to explain. Somethings not right here." Zaal replied. "What is that supposed to mean?" "Like i said, not the time to explain. Leme get you outta here." Zaal said, and accessed the computer terminal. "Gah, I cant open it through this terminal without letting the entire planet know we're here. Excuse me." Zaal said, and darted down the corridor. "Wait!" Aarok said quickly. Zaal Ignored him, and continued down his path. "I hate it when he does that." Aarok said, shaking his head. "Revival, give me the location of the main computer banks on sub-level Mike Echo 262." "Sending map to your holocomm." Revival replied. "Thanks." Zaal said. He passed a dozen more cells, and took a right, down a side corridor. Not often used, dust had settled on the floor. A few foot prints were visible. He took a twisting and confusing path back tracking, to make sure anyone following would be lost. And he was certain someone knew of his presence. Finally, he reached the computer systems. Lights blinked on, and winked out. A low hum of energy coursing through kilometers and kilometers of wiring was audible. Nobody, and nothing was in sight. Quickly, Zaal accessed the main computer terminal, skimming the systems for the cell release. He found it. Marked "High Security" Zaal found the cell in which Master Aarok was kept. What he found below was surprising. 'Jacen Brashin' It read. To Be Continued... Yuuzang Vong Wars** (will be here soon... one day.) Death** Life Finds A Way** Pictures for possible future use ' ''' Battered Clone Helmet.jpg|Battered Clone Helmet Random Ship.jpg|Random Ship star_wars_ships-wallpaper-2400x1350.jpg|Trio of Star Destroyers Troopers.jpg|Squad on Clone Troops Flash Ghesthowl.jpg|Flash Ghesthowl Sith Lord dude.jpg Battle-Sabers-LED-Star-Wars-Lightsabers-1.jpg|Zaal's second Lightsaber ' Category:Trooper Battle Class Category:Male Characters Category:Twi'leks Category:SQUAD ON FIRE Category:Jedi Battle Class Category:Larcon Legion Category:Tokocharger Family Category:Jedi Category:Padawan Category:Jedi Master Category:Jedi Knight Category:Experienced Player Category:Hero of Umbara Category:Member Category:General Category:Jedi General Category:Commander Category:Trooper Category:Skilled Saber Duelist Category:Blademaster Category:Jedi Ace Category:Champion Racer Category:The Liberator Category:Force Spirit Category:Dark Jedi Category:Master of all forms of Lightsaber dueling